Creative ExpressCard Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio Notebook-70SB071000000

Amazon Customer Reviews

(2 out of 5)

Maybe if they fix it

Bought this card a couple weeks ago and is quite disappointed, and let's just start off with the docking module. For those who are familiar with the docking module, be aware it is not packaged with the card. Even worse is the docking module is not even available in most countries yet including the u.s. and has no current estimated release date, so 7.1 support of the card is currently useless. The x-fi crystallizer sounds good and so does the 3-d headphone effects thing. Oddly enough games that support x-fi claim the card doesn't support it. It is a x-fi audio card and not a x-fi gaming card and this is probably difference with creatives card though not clearly labeled. x-fi on the cover means x-fi support to me. It does support the eax sound effects which is neat. This card is almost worth getting for the 3-d effects and eax effects IF THEY WORKED. Turning these effects only causes all windows sounds to make weird cracks and pops. In games sounds do the same. Explosions become weird noises. This is a well known problem with x-fi cards. Creative knows its a problem, knows their cards are defective and took them two weeks of emails and drivers reinstalling,optimizing,ect just for them to say my card is defective. Well duh. I'll be returning this if i can. Don't expect a fix for the pops and cracks. I've read a million forums and it seams like a bunch of people are having the same issues with this card(and other x-fi cards) which creative has just been telling people their particular card might be defective. I'm pretty sure they are all defective.

(5 out of 5)

Unbeatable Practicality in Notebook Sound

I raise an eyebrow at reviews that contain statements like, "I'm pretty sure they are all defective." My experience with this card has been nothing short of stellar, and others share the same experience.

This card is not marketed as a gaming soundcard, although it will handle games. The main purpose of this card is to give you unparalleled sound for music and movies, and it definitely delivers on both fronts. I am very particular about sound, and couldn't tolerate the electronic noise contamination from my HP Pavilion's on-board soundcard, thus I bought this card.

Using very sensitive in-ear monitors, I could not detect any electronic buzz at any volume level. The card really isolates your sound from all the other electronic fluctuations going on in your computer, and delivers great sound. The software interface is very intuitive, and even has a button that toggles playback through your notebook speakers--a tiny feature, but it shows that real thought went into the product design.

People are already familiar with Creative's EAX and Crystallizer technologies, so I won't review them here, suffice to say they work just fine.

What won me over was the fact that this tiny wonder has -both- optical inputs and outputs, enabling one to connect it to a Dolby Digital decoder (for multi-speaker setups), an external DAC (Digital-to-Analogue Converter), or any permutation of such devices! Furthermore, sound quality output is versatile with both 48Khz and 96Khz master outputs, in 16 or 24-bits.

Besides the optical ports, the dock provides a multitude of connection options.

When considered from a price-to-performance/features point of view, the Xi-Fi ExpressCard is a real winner. Products in this category are already rare, but Creative has put some real thought into this, and it shows.

Please note that this product is incompatible with the following notebooks:
* 1. Fujitsu Lifebook E8210*
* 2. Fujitsu Siemens Amilo A1667G*

*As listed on Creative's Website

(4 out of 5)

Great Sound Card For Music

I liked the sound on this Expresscard so much that I bought 2 of these for my Dell 1520 and Dell 1705 laptops, running Vista Ultimate. Set up was simple. I just inserted the ExpressCard into the slot and then loaded the CD. Downloading time took over an hour as there were many auto updates to install. There is very little documentation and no user manual for this product so one must be free spirited and discover which settings are right for you based on the kind of music you listen to and the way you intend to use this card. Unfortunately, there is very little discussion as to which stereo earbuds (or headphones) work well with this ExpressCard. The best music player I've ever listened to, the Creative MediaSource Player 5, is bundled with this product. A pair of comfortable white earbuds also comes enclosed.

This is a high end product which requires that you invest more money in either a high quality stereo earbud, headphone or stereo speakers (along with Creative's speaker docking module, which is now available on their web site)) in order to fully take advantage of the features this card offers.

I found the sound of music to be far superior using the enclosed Creative earbuds in this ExpressCard to my USB Jabra 5035 stereo headset. But when I tested the Sony MDR-EX90LP stereo earbuds in this ExpressCard, the sound clarity and bass improved tremendously so I bought 2 pair and now use them exclusively in this ExpressCard.

I chose this ExpressCard because when I custom built my Dell 1520, this was offered as the best option (of 3) for the sound system of the notebook. However, Dell sent the card 2-3 days after I received my notebook so I had to install it on my own. Once I was able to fine tune this ExpressCard to suit my penchant for 60's Rock Music, I then bought another one for my Dell 1705. When I listen to "Paint it Black" and "She is a Rainbow" from the Stones, I feel like I'm in the front row of the old Phillmore East Auditorium in New York City.

I have no intention of buying the speaker docking module at the present time since it sort of defeats the purpose of having a laptop to begin with. But if I ever decide to move out to the country (or suburbs) and do not live near anyone, perhaps I'll buy the speaker docking module and the Logitech Z-5500 Digital speaker system.

Bottom Line:

The sound of music is taken to another level with this ExpressCard. I now enjoy listening to my music more than ever.

I now give this Expresscard 5 stars.

(5 out of 5)

amazing

I got this sound card and the optional surround sound upgrade kit for about 80 used here from a seller at amazon and its terrific. I haven't written a review in over a year but I felt that I had to for this product.
I had the Creative Notebook ZS soundcard that worked well for my XP machine and when i got a new computer with Vista and installed it, the sound was never the same.
With Xp the sound is rich and detailed, with Vista, it always sounded as if it was a "copy of a copy" -- sort of a washed out sound. The ZS's drivers weren't made for vista and the vista updates for it never worked as should.
The X-Fi card's drivers are engineered for Vista and you can hear it. The sound is rich, detailed and LOUD. Installation went extremely smoothly and there is an built in update engine so you don't have to go to the Creative website and manually update it.
The interface is very user friendly and there are heaps of features that come along with the superb sound.
I highly recommend this product to anyone who is interested in excellent sound.

(5 out of 5)

A MUST if you watch movies and listen to music on your notebook!

Believe me when I say you have to experience Xtreme Fidelity to really appreciate what it does for music and movies. I don't really understand the how "X-Fi" works. A friend tells me it has something to do with the way the Crystalizer repairs the damage that was done to audio and video files during compression. Too much geek speak for me! All I know is that my movies and music have never sounded clearer or more vibrant. Plug in your favorite headphones for an even better listening experience!

If your notebook is basically a desktop replacement, why cheat yourself out of superior audio quality? Get this ExpressCard and start enjoying your music and movies the way they were meant to be heard!